I Won't Lose Her!
by Luna Silvereyes
Summary: She'd already lost three identical children to that hospital. She vowed not to lose this one, her last possible chance at happiness just because she was a little different. She'd do whatever it took to protect her, even if it meant losing her own life.


I Won't Lose Her!

Luna Silvereyes

A/N: I bet a lot of you wonder how Lucy came to be. She may have been the first Diclonius, but what if she was the first _surviving_ Diclonius? This is her short story of how she ended up so lonely.

_"Ma'am, I'm afraid that there's something wrong with your baby." _

Shirahi grimaced at the familiar phrase as she lay in the hospital bed, gasping through the contractions that barraged her frail body. Her face was sweaty and flushed and she gripped the sheets with a fierce intensity far greater than the contractions, but she held a triumphant grin as she did. She was going to win.

"Ma'am, we've told you," the nurse said, grasping Shirahi's shoulder. "Our ultrasound machine tells us that the baby is facing the wrong way. We'll need to do a caesarian if you want to survive the birth."

Shirahi shoved her away. "No! You devils, don't you dare touch my baby!" Shirahi screeched. She groaned out loud as another paroxysm swept over her like a wave and she arched her back in pain. The nurse whined in worry and again tried to calm her. "We promise not to touch the baby except to get it out." She lied. The ultrasound had also shown them what she feared most.

"I'll get through this on my own!" Shirahi screamed. " I've lost three other children to this damned hospital! I won't lose my last chance at happiness just because you all are too afraid to let it live!"

"Even if you do survive ma'am, the baby will have to die. We've seen the scope on the screen. The illness is…is fatal anyway."

Shirahi bolted upright, her brilliant blue eyes flashing. "You touch my baby and I'll tear you apart! Leave me alone! I'll have my baby alone so I can keep her!"

The nurse shook her head. "I'll have to fetch the doctor." She whispered.

"I heard that!" Shirahi gasped as the nurse fled the birthing room. Shirahi tried to calm her breathing as the contractions became mere minutes apart. She gasped suddenly when she felt it; the mother's instinct telling her to push her baby into the world. As her baby emerged, she screamed when she felt a knife-like sensation all through her body, like something was scraping the walls of the birth canal. But remembering that the nurse had gone to get the doctor, who would then force the baby away from her, she continued to push until finally, she heard it. Tears poured from her eyes at the sound of the wailing child before her. With great pain and effort, she reached forward and took the squalling infant into her arms. It was a girl, a tiny, beautiful, baby girl. She smiled in pure joy at the sight of her little round face and bright, wide pink eyes staring up at her in wonder, as though she were saying, "Is this the world?"

"Hello, there. I'm your mommy." Shirahi said softly, stroking her forehead. She chuckled lightly at the teeny little horns poking out of her baby's temples. "My, you are interesting. But that's why I love you. I'll need to think of a name for you."

The baby giggled and reached up for her.

Shirahi temporarily forgot about the impending threats until she heard the footsteps approaching her room—and it sounded like much more than just two sets. Her heart pounding, she got up out of the bed, groaning in pain and exhaustion, the thought of her new daughter's life driving her on.

"I won't…lose her." She gasped. "I lost three other children just like you, my little girl, to this very hospital, to that very same doctor. I won't lose…you."

She stumbled to the window and peered outside. There was a concrete ledge just below the pane. She heaved the window open and shakily stepped out, ignoring the blood that was slowly beginning to seep from between her legs. She pushed the window back down and stepped just out of view, but so that she could watch what was going on. She had to stay still. She was almost three stories up, after all.

Shirahi found that she could still hear what went on within, provided the baby didn't cry.

_"She's right in here, doctor. It's one of them, just like her other three." _

"Damn, talk about rotten luck. I guess it's safe to say that every other kid she has will be like this."

Shirahi swallowed nervously. Every child she'd ever have would be born with little horns that were somehow considered dangerous? No, maybe they were just afraid of them, that was all.

_"Hey! Where are they?" _

"It can't be! I placed someone outside the door! There's no way she could have escaped!"

At this, Shirahi felt her breath hitch. The only other way out was the window. They'd be sure to check out there. She started to move out of reach, scraping her back against the wall and clutching her baby tightly. There was a strong wind and her hospital gown blew up around her legs, revealing the steady flow of blood that was quickly growing stronger.

"Here she is!"

Shirahi whirled and yelled as the doctor poked his head out the window and spotted her. "Stay away! Don't you dare hurt my child!" she screamed. She turned to the road below. "Help! Someone, help me!"

A few people turned and stared. None of them seemed to have seen the baby.

"Get back, here, Miss Sakurai, you'll fall to your death down there, or bleed to death up here! We need to get you back to care!"

"No, because if I go, you'll kill my baby while I'm incapacitated! I won't go back in there!"

"Look, that baby's going to die anyway and it'll be a painful and agonizing death! I'm surprised it survived the birth! It'll be more humane to do it now!"

"Humane? _Humane?_ It's suddenly humane to commit murder on an innocent child! A baby, no less? You're insane! I'd rather jump so I can die together with my baby!"

She turned and bent down slightly, ignoring the doctor yelling at her to stop. Before he could grab her, Shirahi slipped off the ledge and began the long tumble toward the ground. She turned so her back faced the impending concrete. But instead of the bone-jarring jolt she was expecting, she felt a sort of cushiony landing and realized that she'd fallen into the decorative shrubbery outside the hospital. Taking this advantage, she scrambled out and took off through the parking lot, holding her baby close to her chest. She took a sharp turn into the road and screamed as a car screeched to a stop in front of her. The driver leaned out his window and yelled. "Are you crazy, lady? Watch, next time!"

She didn't reply, but continued running. It was then that the man noticed the thickening trail of blood behind her and his eyes widened. "Hey, lady!" he yelled after her. "You're bleeding, you know that right? Hey, come back!"

Shirahi paid him no mind. Every second wasted determined how much longer her daughter might live.

Finally, she collapsed beside a dumpster and lay there, gasping for air, temporarily forgetting her baby. She looked down at the little girl, watching her quietly. She smiled weakly. "I think we made it, sweetie." She whispered. In response, the baby giggled and reached for her. Shirahi sighed. "My husband had been looking forward to you. If you hadn't come a month late, he would have seen you. But he won't have you, either. He's got the other three. I should get to keep one." She said with a smile. "I wanted to name you Jenna. But now that I think about it, I think my husband's idea is more fitting. So, welcome to the world, Lucy Sakurai."

Lucy giggled again and snuggled into her arms.

Suddenly, Shirahi felt her breath grow short and her vision went blurry. She had lost too much blood from not being stabilized right after giving birth. Natural instinct told her that she wasn't going to live through the night. Shirahi began to gasp for air and struggled to stand. She knew she had to get Lucy to a safe place before she died.

"Hang in…there, sweetheart." She panted. She crawled on her knees and right hand, supporting Lucy with the other. She never made it out of the alley.

Shirahi collapsed a final time, her dying eyes focused only on her baby. With a last effort, she used her finger to scratch Lucy's name into the dirt. "Lucy, forgive me." She whispered. With those dying words, she passed away, her baby clutched tightly in her arms.

But a special silver moon was watching that night and a kind old couple discovered the body of the young mother while on their nightly walk. In the process, they heard the hungry cries of the little girl. The old woman found the name written in the dirt and pointed it out to her husband. "This must be her name." She said. "But what a strange baby. She's got two little horns on her head."

The old woman agreed to take Lucy to the local children's home while the old man was to call the police about the body of the mother. As far as the hospital knew, the baby had disappeared into thin air. Somehow, it was missed about which home she was taken to.

As far as Lucy was concerned as she grew up, she was a freak with horns whom no one wanted to be around. Little did she know that she was the only survivor, and the road to a new future for the race known as the Diclonius.


End file.
